Peterborough United chairman wants salary caps, a football tsar and clubs to stop paying agents when the coronavirus crisis is over

Peterborough United chairman Darragh MacAnthony’s radical recovery plans for EFL clubs when the coronavirus crisis is over includes salary caps, a treaty to ensure players rather than clubs pay agents and a football tsar to ensure no clubs go bust in the aftermatch of the sporting shutdown.
Posh chairman Darragh MacAnthony (left).Posh chairman Darragh MacAnthony (left).
Posh chairman Darragh MacAnthony (left).

MacAnthony revealed his plans in the latest episode of his personal podcast ‘Football chairman - Hard Truths’ and urged the EFL board to contact him to discuss his ideas.

MacAnthony believes Posh will be around £1 million worse off by the time the current season ends because of lost gate receipts from five home matches now expected to take place behind closed doors, decreased season ticket sales and lost sponsorship deals and merchandise sales.

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MacAnthony believes a 50% wage deferral for all lower league footballers starting with April payments needs to be agreed when the EFL and the PFA meet early next week. He also believes the EFL need to arrange a £175 million relief package to be shared by its 72 member clubs which would be accessible when the new season kicks in.

Posh chairman Darragh MacAnthony with record signing Mo Eisa.Posh chairman Darragh MacAnthony with record signing Mo Eisa.
Posh chairman Darragh MacAnthony with record signing Mo Eisa.

MacAntony is in favour of finishing the current season behind closed doors with a resumption in mid-June and a finish by the end of July. The 2020-21 campaign would then start on September when MacAnthony would love to see the following in place...

*A £175 million relief package arranged by the EFL. Payments to creditors would be made by the EFL on behalf of the clubs to stop owners using the money for other things.

MacAntony would like League One and Two clubs to get £1.5 million each with the rest shared by Championship clubs apart from £20 million which would be looked after by a football ‘tsar.’ Clubs would budget to pay the loan back over the following four seasons.

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*Football’s ‘tsar’ could be an ex-player or director of football, someone who knows the game, and their brief would be to get the EFL to step in and make sure no club goes into administration or out of business because of a bad owner.

*All clubs who activate the loan (some will be rich enough not to) have to cut their wage bill by 25% if in the same league next season

Say Posh’s wage bill was £4 million they would have to agree to cut it to £3 million until the loan is paid back.

*All clubs in Leagues One and Two would agree to have no bigger than a 23-man squad of which 25% would be under 23 or academy produced to get wages under control. Emergency loans would be available.

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*The loan market has to be fixed. Lower league clubs would only have to pay for a loan player for nine months rather than the 11 months they are currently charged for.

There would also be maximum wage payments for loan players of £1200 per week. Posh are currently playing out £4-5k per week on loan wages which MacAnthony describes as ‘abhorrent’.

*A salary cap based on club turnover has to be explored.

Any club with a turnover under £4 million would be allowed to spend £1 million on player wages. Any club with a turnover between £10 million to £15 million would have £5 million to spend on player wages with pro rata rates in between.

Because of current contracts running into next season clubs would get two years to comply with the new rules.

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*A treaty would be signed by the clubs which forces players to pay agents themselves. Currently agents charge 5% of a transfer fee and the clubs pay it 99% of the time, according to MacAnthony, and far too many wangle themselves a cut of between 10-15%.